Yahoo News Girls Basketball Coach Christina Mauser Identified as Victim in Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash
Another victim has been identified from the tragic crash that claimed the lives of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna on Sunday morning.
Girls basketball coach Christina Mauser was also one of the nine aboard the private helicopter that went down in Calabasas, California, the mayor of Costa Mesa, Katrina Foley, confirmed.
“I just learned that our amazing Matt Mauser of TiajuanaDogs lost his wife Christina in the crash,” she wrote on Twitter. “She coached the girls team. This devastating tragedy gets worse by the hour. So much pain for so many local families. Our hearts are broken & grieving for the families impacted.”
Christina’s husband, and Tijuana Dogs singer, Matt Mauser also confirmed the news, writing on Facebook, “My kids and I are devastated. We lost our beautiful wife and mom today in a helicopter crash. Please respect our privacy. Thank you for all the well wishes they mean so much.”
RELATED: Kobe Bryant’s Daughter Gianna, 13, Dead Alongside Father in Calabasas Helicopter Crash
Bryant’s daughter, nicknamed Gigi, was also onboard the private helicopter when it went down on Sunday, reps for the former basketball player told TMZ Sports. The outlet said that Bryant’s wife, Vanessa Bryant — with whom he shares all four children — was not onboard.
Emergency personnel responded but none of the nine people onboard survived, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said during a press conference.
Sources told ESPN that the helicopter was headed to a travel basketball game for Gianna.
Bryant is survived by Vanessa, 37, and their daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months.
RELATED: Lakers Star LeBron James Seen in Tears After Learning of Kobe Bryant’s Death
Spokespersons for Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Earlier this month, the former NBA star — who retired in 2016 — revealed that he had recently started watching basketball all the time because of his daughter.
“Before Gigi got into basketball I hardly watched it, but now that’s she’s into basketball, we watch every night,” Kobe told former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the Showtime Basketball podcast All the Smoke.
Kobe and his daughter also attended several Lakers games before the start of the new year, marking the first time he had been to a game since his jersey was retired in 2017.
“We just had so much fun because it was the first time I was seeing the game through her eyes,” the five-time NBA champion said of sharing the experience with his daughter.
“It wasn’t me sitting there, you know, as an athlete or a player or something like that, and you know it’s like about me, and I don’t like that,” he added. “It was her, she was having such a good time.”
